Hoole dreams of Giro time trial stunt (with favorable weather forecast) and predicts success for Ciccone and Vacek

"Yes, it was very special. It was a great first week, with three stage wins for Mads, several days in pink, Mathias Vacek briefly in white, and Giulio Ciccone, who is still doing well in the GC and riding brilliantly. All in all, it was a very successful week."

"I think I've really taken a step forward this year. I had a good spring and prepared well for this Giro. I was in top form in the first week."

"I think I did a little more than was expected. But I always try to do that, and fortunately, it worked out."

"There are indeed a lot of stages in the second week that are suitable for Mads or possibly for an attack by Mathias. We're looking forward to that, and we'll do our best to create as many opportunities as possible to put Mads or Mathias in a winning position. Then they can do their thing and win even more stages."

"I think we're really a unit, even though we have two clear leaders in Ciccone and Pedersen. When your GC rider does so much work for Mads in the first few days, it creates a really good vibe. It shows that you're willing to go the extra mile for each other, and now that Giulio has set such a good example, the rest of the team wants to do their bit, too. Of course, the success on day 1 also contributed to that because it immediately created a sense of invincibility."

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"I was already delighted with that first time trial; it went very well. You always hope for more, but that time trial was pretty fair, so sixth was really my place. Today (Monday, ed.) I scouted the route for Tuesday, and it looks good. It's a bit technical initially, but then it climbs a bit. Overall, it's a time trial for time trialists. You have to ride at a high power output for a long time. I'm in good shape, and this route might suit me better. We'll have to wait and see now that it's later in the Giro, but I will try to ride the best time trial I can and aim for the top spot."

"Yes. I'll have to really surpass myself, but that's what you strive for. Whether it's realistic, we'll see on Tuesday. Wout van Aert is riding well again, and Joshua Tarling is, of course, the clear favorite. Moreover, this time trial suits the GC contenders a little better than the previous one. But you shouldn't be afraid to set the bar as high as possible, so I'm really going for it."

"They say it will start raining around that time., so I hope I'll be done just before then. That would be nice."

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"That's difficult to say because the tough stages for the GC are still coming. But we have seen that Giulio is riding at an extremely high level this year, and he has worked very hard for that, with several altitude training camps and a lot of time away from home. He is relaxed, riding very well, and the team is fully behind him. I think he can achieve something special; at least, that's what we all believe. We're going to help him achieve the best possible result, and maybe that will be a place on the podium in Rome."

"He's also very relaxed. The last few days weren't really his kind of stages, so he tried to help the team as much as possible. If there are opportunities for him again in the coming days, I'm sure he'll be super motivated and focused. And he knows he has to repay Ciccone a little for what he did in the first few days. Mads really wants that, too. The Giro is still very long, despite all the successes we've already had. So we're going for it to make the Giro even more special."

"Yes, for me, he is one of the strongest riders in this Giro. What he's doing is crazy, even though things haven't gone his way yet. At that first mountain finish, he could keep up with the best climbers for a long time. Mathias weighs at least 10 to 15 kilos more than those guys, so that's phenomenal. It was also impressive how he rode the final on Sunday and ultimately helped Ciccone, especially considering his age (22 years old, ed.). Mathias can potentially become an absolute leader in the future, and if he improves his race tactics a little, he can achieve some great victories. There are still plenty of opportunities for him in this Giro."

"That would be great!"

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])